Yep! I've been running it with the fine filters once or twice a day throughout the process. It does pic a lot of stuff up for sure.

I ran an OCLT this morning and passed that. FC remained the same as my test last night, CC is 0-0.5 (just a sliiight change with one drop) so the only SLAM criteria in question now is that "the water is clear." I don't think I'd pass a quarter test in the deep end yet, but probably in the shallow end. Should I continue SLAMing for a while yet, or is it OK to raise the CYA to 50 and start simply maintaining my normal target FC level, with the expectation that the filter will continue to make the water more clear?

We recommend sticking with the SLAM levels if at possible. Your FC loss per day should not be extreme. Test and dose in the morning and evening. With a sand filter it takes longer. I am not sure if the Zeo is helping or hurting.

Pool is very nearly there. I've been losing about 7-8ppm FC each day, or about a gallon's worth of liquid chlorine. Yesterday the pool was clear enough to see the print on my Dolphin and clearly make out the bends in the treads. Might have even passed the quarter test, but I'm on call all week and I didn't want to throw a quarter in the pool and not be able to get it out I have one gallon of chlorine left, which I'll throw in tonight when I get home, and tomorrow night I'll get some more chlorine. I'll do an OCLT Friday night-Saturday morning, a quarter test in the morning on Saturday, and call it good if all of that passes. CYA will get added as soon as I'm done SLAMing.

I also need to get in the spa with the vacuum hose and manually vacuum out the dirt/algae in there. The robot is no good in the spa, and even the manual vacuum head is too wide to do a decent job at the bottom of the spa. That'll be a Saturday project.

I'll make another post this weekend with some pictures of the plaster in my pool. It's chipping off, and I suspect that means I'm due for a re-plaster job, but I'll get some opinions (and wait out the season if possible) before doing any of that.

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pssssssssst..........that is not TFP water quite yet hehe Wait until you see in in about two weeks. Yeah it is good but it will get even better!!! It will shine and sparkle so much you will need some shades!!

Water is quite clear (I can see the print on my Dolphin from the second story window) but I lost 1.5ppm FC in my OCLT test. It was just a 1 drop difference, but I'll run another OCLT tonight just to be sure. CYA is holding at 30, and I'll wait to add more until I pass OCLT.

When your pH gets to 7.8, lower it all the way to 7.2. Over time that will reduce your TA.
Or, if you wish to drop it quicker, lower your pH to 7.2, run your spa (without heat) full tilt to aerate. Test your pH (in the pool) every couple hours. When it gets to 7.5 or so, drop it back to 7.2. Be sure to test TA every 2 or 3 times as it will drop and Poolmath needs an up to date TA to calculate acid additions to lower pH.

Thanks! I'll do it the slow way. It doesn't seem like TA really hurts anything, and that it getting balanced over time will be fine.

One other maintenance question. FC for CYA/50 should stay between 6-8. For daily testing, the FC meter on the block with the PH test only goes up to 5. With higher FC requirements, should I do the FAS-DPD test daily, or does the block tester work as long as it's real solidly 5? Just trying to decide if I should order some more FAS-DPD powder.

That 6-8 daily range has a little leeway (but not too much). I would suggest you are looking for a fairly solid 5 on a daily basis and then once each week, use your FAS/DPD (powder) FC test for better precision.

You can do as Dave states or just test FC every 2 or 3 days with FAS-DPD and add the required chlorine every day based on what the pool has needed. That is pretty safe here as we do not have the airborne organics that the southeast and east do.

Brief update: The pool seems to be getting a bit cloudier again. Still blue though. I've been testing and adding chlorine daily to hold at 7-8 FC, and there's no indication that there's any algae activity (loss of no more than 2ppm FC per day, usually closer to 1, 0.5 CC or lower, but it has been unseasonably cool and rainy.) I've been doing the FAS-DPD test once nightly so I can get a baseline of how much chlorine I lose, so my numbers are pretty accurate (if not valid for usual summer temps.) I added stabilizer to 50ppm CYA last weekend and thought that might have contributed to it. PH had also crept up to 7.8 and I dropped it back to 7.2 with MA Tuesday night. There is what seems to be dirt daily on the pool floor, but I've chalked that up to the gusty winds and being in the desert. It's getting sucked up by the Dolphin.

I'm inclined to think the ZeoSand is the problem, and still want to swap to good filter sand. I am planning on a re-plaster at the end of the season. Should I wait until that's done to change the sand? If not, I'd be inclined to change it now.

Yes, I'm brushing at least twice a week. As soon as I can manage it, I'm going to get in the spa and clean that out well, too. The water is so cold right now, but I suppose that's a fair trade for not being the usual 100+ outside.

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